AndisaZA Breaks into the SA Industrial Lubricants Market
AndisaZA (Pty) Ltd., has announced its entry into the local industrial lubricants market. The independent reseller, founded by two young South African entrepreneurs, Gavin Ford and Portia Hadebe, is a Level 2 BBBEE entity.
The Johannesburg based company has commenced operations with an aggressive marketing and sales drive that aims to capture a share in the sector valued at approximately US$ 424.0 million, roughly R7.6 to R7.8 billion, depending on exchange rate fluctuations.
“The company was founded out of a vision to fill a gap in the South African industrial lubricants sector through the formation of a business with a Level 2 B-BBEE status which is a very strong and commercially advantageous rating for a business in this country,” says Gavin Ford, Director, AndisaZA.
“Two years ago my business partner, Portia Hadebe, and I, attended the 2024 Electra Mining Africa Exhibition where we discussed the considerable opportunities attached to opening an industrial lubricants distributorship with a high BBBEE status. Thus, AndisaZA was born and today has a Level 2 BBBEE rating which in turn translates into 125% procurement recognition. This means that customers who buy from us can claim R1.25 for every R1.00 spent on their own B-BBEE scorecards,” says Ford.
AndisaZA co-founder and director, Portia Hadebe, notes: “This gives us a strong competitive advantage with many public and private sector supply chains requiring a higher-tier B-BBEE compliance from tender applicants,” she adds.
Both Ford and Hadebe have worked their way up the business ladder and bring strong industrial backgrounds to the new entity. Ford hails from the environmental science and marketing management arena and Hadebe from finance. “We began by establishing how we could combine our different backgrounds to form a company that can vigorously compete as a reseller of world class lubricants,” says Hadebe.
Ford confirms the two young entrepreneurs have spent the last twelve months developing their product offerings, signing distributorship agreements, establishing a pipeline to the highest level of technical advice, and launching their marketing initiatives, including their website. “We are now actively marketing AndisaZA products throughout South Africa. Our main products are: Royal Purple Industrial; BioMax which provides environmentally acceptable lubricant options and SulNOx offers fuel-conditioning technology aimed at reducing fuel consumption and CO? emissions.
We also intend to introduce other products over time. Moreover, we have signed a distributorship agreement with Lubrication Engineers that provides us with access to its high-quality base oils, proprietary additive technologies, extensive product range and the company’s considerable IP.”
He says rather than competing on price alone, AndizaZA aims to deliver long-term value through improved equipment protection, extended lubricant life, reduced maintenance, and lower operating costs. “We can offer mineral-based, synthetic, and environmentally acceptable lubricants, supported by products such as Viper lubricators, Easy Bar, filtration systems, breathers and sight glasses. This allows us to approach customers with a complete lubrication solution,” says Ford.
He confirms one of the start-up’s major objectives is to improve stock availability. “Previously, certain products could take six weeks to four months to arrive but by holding stock locally, we aim to offer faster turnaround times and more reliable supply.”
“The biggest challenges faced by heavy industry in this country includes lubricant wastage, frequent oil changes, equipment downtime, environmental concerns and inconsistent product availability. Through our product ranges, we aim to extend lubrication intervals, improve equipment reliability and reduce overall operating costs. Our focus for Royal Purple Industrial and BioMax will be on identifying existing customers, understanding their consumption and improving local stock availability and turnaround times. BioMax can assist customers operating in environmentally sensitive areas, while SulNOx offers potential fuel savings at a time when diesel and petrol costs remain significant,” he says.
“Our immediate priority is to build a strong customer base and a reliable distribution network. We are not restricting ourselves to a single sector as our product range can serve almost any industry that uses industrial equipment, lubricants or fuel. However, we see the greatest opportunities in mining, manufacturing, cement, petrochemicals, maritime, logistics, power generation and food production. For example, BioMax is suited to environmentally sensitive maritime applications, while Royal Purple Industrial barrier fluids can be used in appropriate pump and mechanical seal applications.”
Both entrepreneurs confirm the immediate task ahead of the company is building a strong customer base with no plans at present to move up into the continent, however, regional expansion may be considered in the longer term.
